SHARE ON: |
| |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
A Texas nurse was convicted Tuesday of capital murder in the deaths of four patients who died after prosecutors say he injected them with air following heart surgeries.
The Smith County jury deliberated for about an hour before finding William George Davis, of Hallsville, guilty of capital murder involving multiple victims. Prosecutors planned to seek the death penalty during the sentencing phase, which was scheduled to start Wednesday.
Davis, 37, was accused of injecting air into the four patients arteries after they underwent heart surgery at the Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler in 2017 and 2018. During recovery from their surgeries, the four -- John Lafferty, Ronald Clark, Christopher Greenway and Joseph Kalina -- suffered unexplained neurological problems and died.
During the trial, Dr. William Yarbrough, a Dallas-area pulmonologist and professor of internal medicine, explained to the jury how injecting air into the arterial system of the brain causes brain injury and death.
Yarbrough said he was able to determine there was air in the arterial system of the victims brains by viewing images from brain scans -- something he said he had never before observed in his decades in medicine.
He ruled out blood pressure problems or any other causes of death besides the injection of air, and said it must have happened after the surgeries because the complications occurred while the patients were in recovery.
Defense attorney Phillip Hayes told the jury that the hospital had issues and that Davis was a scapegoat who was only charged because he was there when the deaths occurred.
Prosecutor Chris Gatewood said during closing arguments that Davis liked to kill people. And prosecutor Jacob Putman said the hospital hadnt changed any of its procedures and hadnt had any similar incidents since Davis left.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
6 pm |
| 14 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NW 28 KM/H
GUSTING TO 43 KM/H |
|
|
|
7 pm |
| 14 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NW 27 KM/H
GUSTING TO 41 KM/H |
|
|
|
8 pm |
| 13 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NW 24 KM/H
GUSTING TO 40 KM/H |
|
|
|
9 pm |
| 12 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: NW 21 KM/H
GUSTING TO 43 KM/H |
|
|
 |
10 pm |
| 11 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: NW 19 KM/H
GUSTING TO 39 KM/H |
|
|
|
11 pm |
| 11 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: NW 19 KM/H
GUSTING TO 37 KM/H |
|
|
|
12 am |
| 10 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: WNW 18 KM/H
GUSTING TO 37 KM/H |
|
|
|
1 am |
| 10 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NW 19 KM/H
GUSTING TO 37 KM/H |
|
|
|
 |
TODAY |
HIGH OF 17 ℃
LOW OF 11 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
|
FRIDAY |
HIGH OF 11 ℃
LOW OF 8 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
|
SATURDAY |
HIGH OF 18 ℃
LOW OF 9 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
 |
SUNDAY |
HIGH OF 21 ℃
LOW OF 9 ℃ |
| SCATTERED CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
MONDAY |
HIGH OF 24 ℃
LOW OF 12 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
|
TUESDAY |
HIGH OF 19 ℃
LOW OF 14 ℃ |
| MODERATE RAIN |
|
|
|
WEDNESDAY |
HIGH OF 14 ℃
LOW OF 10 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
|
THURSDAY |
HIGH OF 19 ℃
LOW OF 8 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
BRANTLEY GILBERT
MISS THESE TOWNS
06:24 PM |
|
 |
CODY HIBBARD
HOUSE THAT HE BUILT
06:21 PM |
|
 |
BRELAND
SAME WORK
06:18 PM |
|
 |
LUKE COMBS
THE KIND OF LOVE WE MAKE
06:12 PM |
|
 |
JASON ALDEAN
RELENTLESS
06:08 PM |
|
 |
MITCHELL TENPENNY
IRIS
06:04 PM |
|
 |
JADE EAGLESON
STILL GONNA BE YOU
06:01 PM |
|
 |
CHRIS YOUNG
DONT CALL ME
05:55 PM |
|
 |
HARDY
GUN TO MY HEAD
05:51 PM |
|
 |
SAMMI PALINKAS
THE LAST GIRL
05:48 PM |
|
 
 
|
